Memo to Paul Pierce

Dude,

Celtic Nation is very happy for you.

You are finally getting credit for all you do.

Besides playing the most intelligent basketball of your career, you are also a bitch on defense, a force on the boards, and often times our leader in assists. You name is now casually mentioned in the same sentence as John Havlicek and Larry Bird.

Congrats. Again, it couldn't happen to a more deserving chap.

However, I would be remiss if I didn't at least make one counterpoint as devil's advocate.

It's OK for you to be the old Paul Pierce when circumstances require.

You remember him. The guy who realized that in certain games the GREEN was gonna lose unless #34 flipped the switch and carried the Cs to victory by posting huge third and fourth quarters.

I won't dwell on the Bobcats loss too much.

But I will point out that between the layup you made with 5:37 on the clock and the three-pointer you missed with 1:13 left, you didn't take one other shot. Zero, as in nada, zip.

I could care less about the loss.

But, Paul, you need to make sure that switch doesn't get rusty, and the only way you're gonna do that is by giving it a flip when the team is desperate for an injection of some O late in a contest they are struggling to keep pace.

I promise you, Larry Legend never let the switch get rusty.